Confidentiality
Covered Persons are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of information entrusted to them as a result of their roles with the Company, except when disclosure is authorized or legally mandated.
As a result of employment or service with the Company, a Covered Person may produce, receive, or become acquainted with the confidential information or trade secrets of the Company, information the Company has received from others that the Company is required to treat as confidential, including information concerning the Company’s employees, shareholders, clients, customers, business partners and other commercially sensitive information the privacy, confidentiality, and secrecy of which is valued by the Company (collectively, “Confidential Information”). Each Covered Person must comply with all applicable Company policies concerning confidentiality and/or public statements, as they may be amended from time to time.
Confidential Information includes, without limitation, non-public corporate and mutual fund and other product: financial information, including cost and performance data, debt arrangements, equity structure, investors and holdings, purchasing and sales data, and pricing lists or schedules; client and business prospect identities and information (including but not limited to financial advisors and consultants and sales information); marketing strategies and methods; market analyses or projections; products, services, and the pricing for same; business plans, strategies, methods, templates, models, policies and procedures; software, databases, hardware configurations, or other technology or tools created, developed or compiled by the Company; formulas, discoveries, inventions, designs, improvements, concepts and ideas; client, supplier, or other third party confidential and/or proprietary information received in confidence by the Company, and any information that may be subject to non-disclosure or confidentiality agreements between the Company and said parties; any confidential and privileged legal advice given to the Company, which legal privilege belongs to the Company; applicant and employee private or otherwise protected information or data obtained by a Covered Person in connection with the Covered Person’s employment or service with the Company, including, but not limited to, personal information contained in applications and resumes submitted to the Company and in Company performance evaluations, and Company termination information and agreements not otherwise available outside of the Company; the Company’s internal reporting or organizational structure information and personnel lists; and the Company’s compensation structure and formula information (except with respect to a Covered Person’s own compensation amount) for any business purpose competitive to the Company.
Confidential Information shall not include information that has become generally available to the public by the act of one who has the right to disclose such information without violating any right or privilege of the Company, the Company’s employees, or the Company’s business partners, shareholders, clients and other third parties.
Disclosure Restrictions
Covered Person must: (i) keep the Confidential Information confidential; (ii) not disclosure any Confidential Information to any non-governmental third parties, including without limitation any former Company employees, without the prior consent of senior management; and (iii) not use Confidential Information for the Covered Person’s personal benefit or for the benefit of any third party.
Nothing in this Standard shall limit or interfere with a Covered Person’s right to file a charge or complaint with any Government Agency or ability, without notice to or authorization from the Company, to communicate with any Government Agency for the purpose of reporting a reasonable belief that a possible violation of law has occurred or may occur, or to participate, cooperate, provide information or cause information to be provided (including documents) or testify in any inquiry, investigation, proceeding or action that may be conducted by any Government Agency.
The obligations under this Standard shall: (i) with regard to Confidential Information, remain in effect for so long as such information constitutes Confidential Information as defined in this Standard; and (ii) with regard to any trade secret specifically, remain in effect for as long as such information constitutes a trade secret as defined by applicable law.
All Covered Persons of the Company are expected to sign an agreement or acknowledgment regarding the confidentiality terms set forth above at the time they become employed with the Company, and from time to time as the Company may amend its confidentiality provisions.